How to Fix Crooked Cabinet Door Handles

If by chance you need to know how to fix a kitchen or vanity cabinet door that has a crooked handle, I have the answer to your problem. It’s really a rather simple operation. You are going to need a few tools though. Just common ordinary power tools that everyone should have hanging around the house. The drill bit that you are going to need is a three sixteenths thick bit.

Usually situations like this happened because the installer was careless when he drilled for the handles. Hopefully they are not so bad that a correction can’t be made. These tips will apply to Formica cabinet doors, Thermofoil, and real wood styles as well.

Steps for Straightening Crooked Cabinet Door Handles

Remove the handles by using the Phillips screw driver. Before you do this though look at the handle and determine which way it needs to be moved in order to make it straighter. What you are going to be doing is reaming out the existing hole to a larger size. Insert the 3/16” drill bit into the hole, pull the trigger on the drill and begin moving the drill in an oblong or oval motion to make the hole larger. Re-install the kitchen or vanity bathroom cupboard handle and see if you corrected the crooked handle. Oh, I forgot to tell you that you can either have someone hold the dust pan underneath the area you are working on or vacuum the dust as you are drilling.

A Word of Caution: If you have a really skinny base on the cabinet handles you may want to consider getting a different style. It really depends upon far out of alignment the handles are. You may have to make the holes oblong in both locations if the cabinet door handle is really out of alignment.

Hey Sarah, your handles will be held in place when you tighten the screws. Through daily use, cabinet door pulls do not get a lot of pressure in a side to side direction. So, they will not be loose because the holes are made a little larger. There is no other solution for your problem that i know of. If you come up with another creative idea please let us know. Thanks again for sharing!

Currently you have JavaScript disabled. In order to post comments, please make sure JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and reload the page.Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser.